Nick Johnson to sign 3-year, guaranteed deal with Rockets

Former Arizona Wildcats guard Nick Johnson will sign a three-year contract with the Houston Rockets in the near future after entering the summer without a guaranteed deal as a second-round pick, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. Even more importantly, Johnson will have all three seasons fully guaranteed, according to RealGM's Shams Charania.

Yesterday, I wrote about how much appreciation Johnson has received. I judged that from Twitter talk and NBATV broadcasts of his summer league games. It was also based upon what I saw; Houston put a lot of trust in the Arizona product, having him play point guard in the Orlando Summer League and defend the best players as a starting shooting guard in Las Vegas.

Turns out, the Rockets are serious about potentially putting Johnson on the roster immediately.

The 42nd pick in the 2014 draft might not believe he's the 42nd best player in the draft, and a guaranteed, three-year deal confirms that Houston doesn't either. First-round draft picks will likely make more money, but only the first two years of their deals are generally guaranteed. The third and fourth seasons have team options that are usually picked up. It's unclear if Johnson has any player or team options on his contract, but the offer essentially confirms what Johnson has said. He thinks he should have been a first-round pick.